but the other thing about the fiscal cliff is you don't want to be blamed for going over it. it is going to be bad for the economy. it's bad for the country. what speaker boehner's done is create a situation in which we're going to go over the fiscal cliff. but the people who want higher taxes, the democrats, they're not going to be blamed for it. after all, it was john boehner who walked away from negotiations to try plan "b" last week. then it was john boehner who planned to pass plan "b" that very same week. then it was mr. boehner who said it was up to the senate, someone else's problem. just from a pr perspective, what john boehner has done here is a debacle for the republicans. and the white house, they've just been sitting back the last week or so and letting it happen. but today, they gave us their plan going forward. you could call it deal and jam. >> i'm optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that could pass both houses in time. senators reid and mcconnell are working on such an agreement as we speak. but if an agreement isn't reached in time, between